This stage ends 700m lower than it begins, but don’t be fooled – there’s still plenty of climbing involved and plenty of kilometres to spread it over. We’ll start the day exploring the ancient volcanic region of Cantal (famous for its cheese and associated calorific delights), before a long descent from the plateau (woohoo!).
The relatively fast kilometres of the first 100km will be countered by a more measured afteroon, when the route takes us through the Gorges de la Truyère (spectacular rock formations and the cool breeze of a rock-shaded road) and then up onto the lofty Aubrac Plateau. The quiet, narrow roads of the Massif Central will open out as we descend towards Albi: It’s a gently descending last 30km with our destination visible in the distance, and although you’ll be pedalling the whole way, you won’t have to work too hard for these last, heroic kilometres.
